Gary Benson (poker player)

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Gary Benson
Nickname(s)OzGary
ResidenceSydney, Australia
World Series of Poker
Bracelet(s)1
Final table(s)6
Money finish(es)25
Highest ITM
Main Event finish		283rd, 2007
World Poker Tour
Final table(s)1
Money finish(es)1

Gary Benson (born 1957, in Sydney, Australia) is a professional poker player and sports bettor. He has won a World Series of Poker bracelet in addition to other titles as a poker player.

Early life and career

Benson started playing poker during his school years, but his interest in

card games was fostered at a young age by his grandmother. He attended his first live poker game in the late 1970s and has been a stalwart on the Australian and New Zealand
poker scene ever since.

Benson obtained a

Grant Thornton
.

Benson has been married twice with three daughters, and his hobbies include chess, genealogy and travel.

Poker career

Benson attended the first Australian Poker Championship held in

Omaha. In addition to many tournament victories, Benson's major achievements include being crowned the Australian Poker Champion in Adelaide in 1997, and the Australian National Champion in Canberra
in 2000.

Benson made his first trip to

Las Vegas in 1990 and entered his first World Series of Poker in 1996, where he won the $1,500 Seven-card stud event[1]
to become the first Australian-born winner of a gold bracelet. On 24 April 1996, after a 15-hour battle, Benson managed to outlast the field of 247 players to take home the $148,200 prize. Benson reached the final table fourth in chips and finished heads-up with Las Vegas poker professional Billy Cohen. On the last hand, Cohen was forced all-in after Benson had won a huge pot on the previous hand. The two-hour heads-up battle was finally over when Benson's pair of Kings beat Cohen's pair of sevens. Benson also had three money finishes at the 2006 WSOP.[2][3][4]

As of 2014, Benson's total live tournament winnings exceed $2,000,000 including his 2nd-place finish in

Las Vegas in 2013 for $672,685.[5] As of 2024, his live tournament winnings exceed $2,500,000.[6]

In January 2009, Benson was honoured to become one of the inaugural inductees into the Australian Poker Hall of Fame.[7]

Chess career

Benson started playing chess at the age of 13 and joined the Correspondence Chess League of Australia (CCLA) in 1970. Benson is a former Australian Champion having won the

Correspondence Chess
in 2004, and the Senior International Master (SIM) title for Correspondence Chess in 2005.

References

  1. ^ "27th World Series of Poker - WSOP 1996, Seven-Card Stud". The Hendon Mob. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  2. ^ "37th World Series of Poker - WSOP 2006, No Limit Hold'em". The Hendon Mob. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  3. ^ "37th World Series of Poker - WSOP 2006, Pot Limit Omaha". The Hendon Mob. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  4. ^ "37th World Series of Poker - WSOP 2006, No Limit Hold'em". The Hendon Mob. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  5. ^ "World Poker Tour - WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic, No Limit Hold'em - Main Event". The Hendon Mob. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  6. ^ "Gary Benson's profile on The Hendon Mob". The Hendon Mob Poker Database. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  7. ^ "The Australian Poker Hall of Fame". Poker Network. Retrieved 6 April 2024.

External links

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